Where is Doria Pamphilj?

Being truly frustrated with my Italian lessons, I decided to cut class today! In any case, my parents are in town and I wanted to enjoy the day with them. Josh and I had been meaning to see the Galleria of Doria Pamphilj, but first I thought we should drive up to the Gianicolo and take in the view of Rome across the Tevere. Unfortunately, it was "cleaning day" for the beautiful fountain across from the Spanish Embassy. Still the impressive monument, so massive that it is visible from the other side of town, was beautiful even without the water rushing through it. (sorry I don't know what it's called?). Then we climbed up to Piazza Garibaldi -- same view over Rome, just with a statue of Garibaldi this time.

Then we were off to find the Doria Pamphilj which we believed was nearby in the Villa Pamphilj. After driving around in circles for 20 minutes and listening to Lola on the GPS, we finally stopped and spoke to a very pleasant police woman who gave us directions. There was some construction in the area and some of the usual roadways were blocked so it made the route a bit tricker than usual. As part of the (long) conversation, Josh asked about the Art Gallery in the Villa. She didn't know what we were talking about and was unaware that there was any art to be found in Villa Pamphilj. She did say, however, that it was a nice park for Romans who like to jog. With this in mind, we abandoned our attempt to find Villa Pamphilj and drove back to the Parioli. My mom was craving a coffee and a brioche so we stopped in Piazza Euclide at a cafe called "Francis" to get a snack. It was lunchtime but we were eating pastries with our cappuccino! Afterwards, we walked to the outdoor market in the Parioli where the local butchers, fish-mongers, and vegetable purveyors have their permanent stalls. We bought some vegetables and chestnuts for later.

Another gorgeous day, and another lunch al fresco in the garden. Today, Olivia went home from school with her classmate, Federica, who was having a belated birthday party. Josh rode to RIS to pick up Avery and take him for a bike ride. My mom and I picked up Charlotte. Once at home, it was unusually quiet.

Later in the evening, we had dinner and roasted chestnuts...and watched David Letterman.